A Princess Worth Fighting For
by Logan Swiger
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki, sole heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Fire. His Father, King Minato, passed on long ago. Nobody has taken the throne, and Naruto cannot take it for himself until he finds a princess. With Princess Sakura already spoken for, Naruto sees his situation as a hopeless one. Until he meets a beautiful princess named Hinata that he's willing to fight for. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, thank you so much for giving my story a chance! This story is an AU story. I was wanting to try something new, to see if I'm really good at writing at something I haven't tried. I figured I'd give love stories a shot. But that hasn't started yet, so for now enjoy a bit of comedy!**

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"Get some sleep, Naruto," Iruka whispers. "You'll need all your energy if you're going to impress Princess Temari."

I nod as my teacher exits my bedroom, closing the door behind him. I roll over in bed, sighing. I don't want to impress Princess Temari. She's a stuck-up brainiac who will turn me down just like every other princess has. I've only liked one princess so far. But noooo, Princess Sakura was only interested in Prince Sasuke.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" someone says. I smile, running silently over to my window. Opening it quietly, I look down and see my best friend: Kiba.

"Very funny, Kiba," I say. "How did you sneak into the palace?"

"Are you kidding? I could smell your guards from a mile away," he says. "I'd suggest investing in some deodorant for them."

I throw my hand over my mouth, barely containing my laughter. "What do you want, Kiba?"

"Everybody's hanging out at Choji's tonight, thought you might be interested," he says. "Are you?"

"You know I have to go to the Sand Village to meet Princess Temari tomorrow," I say.

"And you told me that you don't want her, nor do you stand a chance with her," he fires back. "Your hopes can't get much lower, come on!"

I smile, accepting that Kiba's right. I run over to my closet, silently opening it. There hangs my "royal attire", consisting of a dark orange waistcoat with black pants. My crown, a golden ring that shows my royal status, is draped around the hanger. Iruka always comments how my crown should be kept in a place of honor, but I really couldn't care less about the thing. Being the prince of the Kingdom of Fire has been nothing more than a giant, royal headache. Literally.

I shuffle past all of my fancy clothes to find my small chest in the back of my closet. Inside are some clothes I much prefer over these silly things. A slightly tattered white shirt with simple, black trousers. The rough fabric, though sometimes uncomfortable, is a welcome change from my normal life.

I change into my secret clothes quickly, eager to get out of the palace. I'm not supposed to leave the palace grounds, but it's so boring around here I can't stand it. The city is so much more exciting.

Clothes now changed, I sneak to the door to my bedroom. I lock it with the bolt as quietly as I can before rushing back to my closet. At the bottom of my chest I have another special item: a rope. I grab it, all but throwing it out the window. I tie the first end of the rope around my bedpost, and leap out the window.

My fingers burn as I slide down the rope. Kiba steps back as I hit the ground, stumbling slightly as my feet skid across the wet grass. Kiba smiles, and we run towards the palace walls. Only thirty feet from the heavily guarded main gate, a small hole has been dug out under the wall. Kiba squeezes himself through it, and I follow. It's a tight fit, but only moments later Kiba and I are running into town.

Once in the heart of Konoha, the Capital of the Kingdom of Fire, it takes only seconds for he and I to merge into the crowd. I breathe a sigh of relief, as I always do when I escape into the city. Kiba smiles, watching me.

"You know, I don't get why you're so bored in that palace," Kiba comments. "There must be a million things to do in there. Not to mention the food."

"When you're stuck in those walls your whole life, you've pretty much done everything there is to do," I admit. "The city is so much more exciting."

"But Naruto, the _food_!" Kiba jokes. "It must be so much better than this."

"The food's good, but it's the portions that suck," I laugh. "Great food, but three bites and it's gone."

The two of us laugh heartily. When our laughing subsides, Kiba's face is dark.

"Not so funny when you're just scraping by," Kiba says. I drop my gaze, feeling rather guilty. I always seem to mess up perfect moments when I'm around my friends in the city. I sound like some kind of spoiled brat all the time. Which, in reality, I am spoiled, but I don't like to be a brat about it.

"So where are we hanging out?" I ask.

"Choji's place. His parents are out of town so he spent every last bit of his money on food," Kiba explains. "And if we're going to Choji's place, we won't have to worry about portions!"

I laugh. Kiba breaks into a run towards Choji's house, and I gladly follow. The wind ripping through my spiked blonde hair, I can't contain my smile.

"Hey Kiba," Choji greets as we step onto his porch. "Oh, hey Naruto! I didn't realize you were in town."

Kiba and I exchange glances. To keep the whole "prince" thing a secret, Kiba convinced everyone that I'm just his friend from Sunagakure. Whenever I get to hang out with my friends in town (a rare occurrence), we say I'm just visiting.

"Yeah, I just got in today," I lie. "Good timing for you everyone to get together!"

"Yeah, right?" Choji jokes. "Come on, everybody's inside."

Choji leads Kiba and I through his house. We arrive at a dining room, where my friends are all sitting around a large table with wooden chairs. Ino, Shino, Lee, and Tenten are all arranged in a semi-circle. Choji takes a seat, and Kiba and I sit down as well.

"Oh, hey Kiba, hey Naruto!" Ino greets. "I didn't expect to see you here, Naruto."

"Yeah, I just got in town today," I lie again. "How's everything going?"

"Good, I guess," Tenten says. "We're playing poker, come on!"

Shino deals the three of us in and gives us chips. We all start playing, only paying minor attention as we go about our conversations.

"So, you guys hear about the memorial they're building for King Minato?" Ino asks.

"Yeah, they're unveiling it at the anniversary or something, right?" Choji asks.

"Yeah. Big statue or something," Tenten says.

"Hard to believe it's been almost ten years," Ino says. "We were just kids."

"Isn't it weird that the Prince hasn't taken the throne yet?" Tenten asks. "He should be turning eighteen soon."

"He needs to find a princess first," Shino says. "It might help if he showed his face once in a while."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Oh, I forgot you're not from around here," Choji says. "The Prince has never been seen in public. Before he died, King Minato made sure to keep him safe. He stayed locked up in the palace for years. Even after his death, I guess the Prince is still on lockdown. Nobody outside the palace has ever met the guy."

"Yeah, weird..." Kiba groans. He and I exchange glances, nervous. How do I respond to that?

"So, the memorial," I start. "Where's it at?"

"It's right in front of the palace. They've only gotten up to his waist so far, but it's pretty big. Such a shame how the old king died," Tenten says.

"How did he die again?" Ino asks.

"Heart attack, right in the dining room of the palace," Shino explains. "Some pepole say the prince was there when it happened."

I clench my fist, bending the cards in my hand (a shame, too. Three of a kind). As I remember the horrible night, my thoughts waver from our game.

I was only eight years old. It was a normal night, no different than any other dull night in the palace. Father, ruler of the Kingdom of Fire, had had a long day in the courtroom dealing with issues from around the kingdom. He was stressed to say the least, but I didn't really get that at the time. I was as care-free as one could get.

"Naruto, what did you learn in school today?" he had asked.

I ranted on about how Iruka-sensei had taught me some new math or whatever it was. Father smiled warmly, as he always did. He had the warmest smile, it's the one thing I'll never forget about him. As I talked, his smile faltered. His breathing picked up, so I'm told, because I was too busy chattering on like a monkey to notice anything strange.

"Naruto, run and get Iruka!" he pleaded.

"What's wrong, Father!"

"Run!"

I ran through the halls of the palace, screaming Iruka's name over and over. When I finally found her, I quickly explained what had happened. Iruka and I ran back to the hall, but when we got there...Father was already gone.

"What do you think, Naruto?"

"Huh?" I mumble, jarred from my thoughts.

"I asked if you think the Prince will show himself anytime soon," Ino says.

"Oh, I don't know," I admit. "I don't think he really has a need to, ya know?"

"He needs to show himself eventually," Shino says. "He can't hide in the palace forever."

Kiba and I exchange worried glances. He and I frown, neither of us paying any attention to the game anymore. If only they knew that the Prince they're so eager to criticize is sitting right in front of them.

A knocking on the front door diverts all of our attention.

"Now who could that be?" Choji asks, standing to answer the door.

We're all silent as we wait for Choji to return to the table. We hear him open his front door, but my heart leaps into my throat as I hear the voice of the one who was knocking.

"Have you seen a boy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes?" Iruka asks Choji.

"Uhh...not that I can think of..." Choji says. Kiba and I lock eyes, both wide and fearful. "My friend looks like that, but he's not from around here."

"Would you mind if I come in?" Iruka asks.

"Not at all," Choji says. I hear Iruka enter the house, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Oh dear, I have to go to the bathroom," I lie. I stand, quickly but silently exiting the dining room and into a separate hallway. I kneel beside the doorway, still eager to listen to what Iruka might have to say.

"Who's this guy, Choji?" Ino asks obnoxiously.

"My name is Iruka, I work at the palace," he explains. "It seems the Prince has, well this is actually quite embarrassing, but he snuck out of the palace and is somewhere in the city. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, have you seen anyone like that?"

"Our friend Naruto is in the bathroom, but he's from Sunagakure," Shino says.

There's a long silence. Just when I'm getting comfortable with it, Iruka's screaming makes me jump.

"Naruto!" he roars. I cower behind the door, fearful of what might happen when Iruka finds me.

"Wait, you mean Naruto is—" Tenten starts. "Kiba, did you know that Naruto is...?"

"Yes, but—" Kiba defends.

"You knew the Prince was here and tried to hide him?" Iruka yells. "Did you help him escape?"

"Well, perhaps, but I—"

"Stop it, Iruka!" I yell. I step into the doorframe, revealing myself. Iruka's face is turning red with anger, all of it directed at me and Kiba.

"Naruto..." Kiba starts. "Sorry about this, I guess sneaking out wasn't my best idea..."

"It's fine, Kiba."

"You've snuck out of the palace before, Naruto?" Iruka yells. "If the King were still around, he would be ashamed that all of his hard work at keeping you safe was—"

"Shut up, Iruka!" I yell. "Don't talk about my Father!"

There's a long silence. All of my friends watch me carefully, taking it in that I'm the Prince they were bagging on not five minutes ago. Even Shino looks surprised, something that never happens. Iruka calms down a bit before speaking again.

"Come with me, Naruto," he orders. "We're going back to the palace. You have to get some sleep if you're going to meet Princess Temari in the morning."

"Naruto...why didn't you tell us?" Choji asks.

"It...was just easier to keep you all in the dark," I admit. "I'm sorry, I really am."

"And all those times you said you didn't have money to pay for your dinner at Ichiraku's," Tenten jokes. "You have some serious debts to repay, Mr. Prince!"

They all laugh, despite the tension. I smile faintly. Who would have thought they'd be so calm about this?

"Actually, Iruka, I think I'm gonna hang around here for a bit," I tell him.

"Absolutely not, Naruto," he says. He grabs my wrist tightly, pulling me away from my friends. "You are coming back to the palace right now and going to bed!"

I rip my hand away from him. "I'm staying here, or I'll be the most disgusting prince you've ever seen for Princess Temari tomorrow!"

Iruka goes silent. "You wouldn't dare..."

I force a burp out of me, emitting laughs from my friends. "I would. I'll see you when we're done playing Poker."

Iruka roars something illiterate before storming out of the house. As he slams the door behind him, laughter fills the house.

"Well I think we can agree that this has been the most exciting game of Poker ever," Ino says. "Alright, I call. How about the Prince?"

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**I hoped you liked the first chapter! I'm planning on adding a new chapter every few days, so check back often to see if I've posted more. Please leave a review and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, so sorry about the delay! I've had a lot going on, what with Band Camp now in full swing along with some personal stuff. But worry not, because here comes chapter 2!**

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I sit up in my bed, already groaning at what has to happen today. A long trip to Suna for a princess who doesn't want to be with me. Quite honestly, I have no interest in her either. I hear she's kind of a bitch.

"Naruto, you up?" Iruka calls.

"Yeah, I'm up!" I groan. Iruka is still furious about my sneaking out of the palace, but I've completely stopped caring about his anger towards me. My friends all know I'm the prince, and they treat me no differently (aside from a few Royal jokes, but those are to be expected). It took a while for us to get focused on Poker again after everything that happened, but it turned out to be a great night.

Sadly, all good things come to an end.

I walk out of my room and into the bathroom, seeing that a bath has already been drawn for me. I step into the warm, bubbly water, letting my eyes shut as I sink into the large tub. I dunk my head in the water, washing my spiky blonde hair as quickly as I can. I rush through my bath, eager to get to breakfast.

Once out of the tub, I throw on my robe and rush to the dining hall. Once there, I smile. I take my seat at the head of the table (Iruka insists that I sit there since I'm pretty much at the top of the royal food chain). I shove my fork into my breakfast – waffles with maple syrup and a glass of milk. The breakfast of champions, indeed.

"Your carriage is ready for you whenever you want to leave," Iruka says. I finish off my first waffle, already biting into my second one.

"Alright, I'll leave when I turn twenty."

"Very funny, Naruto," he sighs. "It's a long trip to Suna, so I would suggest leaving in half an hour. Sooner, if you can."

I wave him off as I finish my waffles. When I'm about to start on a fourth waffle, Iruka smacks my hand.

"Don't stuff yourself, Naruto," he scolds. "You're going to get fat that way."

I lean back, groaning. "Iruka, I'm not going to get fat!"

"And you have me to thank for that with your appetite. Now go get changed," he orders.

I sigh as I stand from the table. I walk slowly back to my room, already dreading the day. I hate all of this finding a Princess stuff. None of the princesses so far (Temari will be my fifth try) have given me so much as a second glance. Maybe my friends were right and I should go out in public sometimes. If Iruka would ever allow that without being blackmailed.

I open my closet, looking over my "royal attire". I know Iruka won't want me to wear this in the carriage, so I find some simpler clothes to wear. An orange jacket with a white shirt, and some simple black pants. Comfortable, yet elegant enough for even Iruka to approve. I slide my fancier clothes into my bag.

"Naruto, it's time to go!" Iruka calls. I walk slowly from my room (just to irritate Iruka) to the front gates of the palace. There, an extravagant carriage pulled by two white stallions is waiting for me. In front of them, however, stands someone I wasn't expecting to see today.

"Kiba?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to see you off," he says. "Good luck with Princess Temari."

"It's gonna be a long day..." I groan, slightly laughing. Suddenly, I get an idea. "You know, it would be a lot better with some company..."

"Is that so?" Kiba asks. "Well, if I were, by a complete coincidence, to have a bag already packed back home, would you want me to come with you?"

"Of course, only on a moment's notice, you could make arrangements so that you could be away from town for a few days?" I ask sarcastically.

"It's short notice, but I guess I can't say no to you," he says. We both laugh. We had no plans for this, but it seems that great, twisted, devious minds think alike.

I explain to Iruka that Kiba would act as my "squire" on the road (though he won't be doing anything of the sort, he's just good company). Iruka fought to keep Kiba in Konoha, but eventually I told him that even if he says no Kiba will just follow the carriage anyway. When he finally agrees, Kiba is already back with his bag and hopping into the carriage. I hop in after him, the driver of the carriage already setting us in motion.

"Sweet carriage, Naruto," Kiba compliments.

"Thanks," I blush. "You packed enough stuff for the trip?"

"Sure, it's only a couple days," he says. "Are we going straight to the palace or staying somewhere in between?"

"It'll be late, but we'll be at Princess Temari's palace tonight," I confirm. "Though, when we're not in so much of a rush, maybe we can find an inn or something to stay at on the way back."

"Sweet," he says. "I brought cards, wanna play?"

For ten long hours, Kiba and I are laughing wildly as we jump between several card games. After we've finished our sixth game of War, we decide to call it a night. I hang my head out the carriage, looking onto the horizon, frowning as I see thunder rumbling in the distance.

"Looks like we may be staying at an inn after all, I don't want the horses walking through that," I tell Kiba. The brunette looks out the window as well, noticing the storm.

"Want me to tell the driver?"

"That'd be great, thanks."

Kiba pokes his head out the front of the carriage, sharing a brief conversation with the driver of our carriage. We ride silently for another fifteen minutes before stopping at a small, quaint inn named "The Drunken Goose".

The rain picks up just as we step out of the carriage. Kiba and I thank the driver, and run to the front door. Kiba laughs as he reads the sign.

"What an odd name for an inn," Kiba jokes. We laugh as we enter, the driver pulling the carriage into the stable.

We relax once we close the door behind us, shutting the rain out. We turn, Kiba's and I's hearts leaping into our throats. Four men, probably in their mid twenties, are all sitting around a large table. All clad in leather armor, their iron weapons are piled atop each other on the table. A map sits in front of them, several areas of it crossed out with a red X.

"Wow, those are some big guys," Kiba whispers. It's true, the men are absolute behemoths compared to Kiba and myself. The shortest one probably still breaks six feet tall, a feat I have not managed. Kiba is even shorter than me. That's just height, I don't even want to think about the fact that each of their arms are as big around as me.

"Let's...just go get a room," I mumble.

"Shouldn't we find another inn?" he asks. Kiba opens the door to exit, his face instantly soaked by the powerful rain. Lightning flashes again, rendering Kiba's idea completely useless.

"This will have to do," I shrug. I approach the front counter, where a rather small woman with dark brown hair is waiting for us. She smiles warmly, her expression seeming sincere enough.

"Hi, welcome to the Drunken Goose!" she greets. "Are you two gentlemen looking for a room today, or just something to eat?"

"Both would be excellent, thank you," I bow. The girl blushes, pulling out a small clipboard.

"Separate rooms, or one room with two beds?"

"Two beds will be fine."

"Very well. Just sign here, and that will be 60 yen."

I pull out a small wad of cash from my pocket, handing her sixty and smiling. She blushes again, sliding her clipboard beneath the counter. "Now what would you two like to eat?"

"What all do you have?"

"A pretty wide assortment of things, actually," she says. "I would recommend the house special."

"Special?" Kiba asks.

"Yes. It's a roasted goose flavored with a few different kinds of alcohol in small doses. It's absolutely to die for."

I turn to Kiba. "Sound good to you?"

"That sounds fantastic."

"Then we'll take two, please," I say. The girl giggles.

"That'll be 20 yen. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?"

"Just water for me, you Kiba?"

"Water's fine," Kiba says. She smiles, rushing back into the kitchen to fetch our drinks.

Kiba turns to me, his expression mischievous. "What was that all about, Mr. Flirty?"

"What are you talking about? I wasn't flirting with her."

Kiba laughs. "Don't feed me that crap, you were totally hitting on her!"

"I was not!" I laugh, punching Kiba's shoulder. The girl returns with our drinks, setting them down in front of us.

"So where are you two headed?"

"We're on our way to Suna," Kiba answers.

"Suna? It's gonna be pretty crowded up there, I hear Princess Temari's suitors have arrived. One has still yet to arrive, though."

"Really?" Kiba asks. Kiba and I exchange glances, smiling. "What prince hasn't yet arrived?"

"Well I don't know his name, but he's King Minato's son from Konoha," she answers.

"King Minato?" I ask. "Wow, this Prince must be pretty famous."

The girl shrugs. "Really he's not famous for anything. He never makes any public appearances, and the only time he ever leaves the Palace is to meet a Princess. He's tried four now and none have accepted him, Temari will be his fifth."

"Wow, he's a real hit with the ladies!" Kiba says sarcastically. I kick him under the table.

The bartender sighs. "I just hope he takes the throne soon. This country's going further and further down the drain without a King."

My eyes drop, centered at the water in my mug. I lock glances with Kiba, smiling again as we decide to end our little game.

"So this prince, do you know what he looks like?" Kiba asks.

"I hear he's handsome, but not much outside of that," she admits. "I assume he has spiky blonde hair, but that's pretty much all I know about him."

I sigh, smiling as I sit back in my chair. "Wow, you think I'm handsome? How kind of you."

The girl is confused for a moment, her eyes widening as realization sets in. "Y-you're the...p-p-p-p-prince?"

I laugh, nodding. "Took you long enough."

She smiles, blushing as she brushes her hair behind one ear. "Well honestly how could I have known? I would never have expected to meet you, much less at a place like this."

There's a long silence between us. Something beeps in the kitchen, so the girl runs back there giddily. She walks back into the main room, holding two plates. On each plate is a cooked goose, still sizzling from being cooked. It smells absolutely delicious.

I take a deep sniff as she sets it down in front of me. "This smells fantastic, thank you!"

Kiba takes a bite of it, his eyes widening. "This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted in my life."

I cut out a portion of the goose, using my fork to scoop it into my mouth. The flavor is rich, the meat is tender. I let out a sigh as I swallow.

"Oh my God that's excellent," I moan, already cutting out another piece.

"Well Royalty should have nothing less than excellence," she jokes, winking at me. I hear one of the large men stand from the table.

"This is really top-notch, I'll have to recommend this for the palace," I say through a mouthful of goose. She giggles again.

A man takes his seat next to me, his huge arms on the counter. "I'm sorry, did I hear the words Palace and Royalty over here?"

My mouth goes dry. Kiba, apparently oblivious to the situation, nods happily.

"Yup, this here's the Prince of Konoha," he says stupidly. Another two men stand from the table, retrieving their weapons. I curl my fingers around the knife I've been eating with.

"The Prince of Konoha, huh?" he says. He brandishes his sword. "I wonder how much someone would pay to make sure you aren't harmed."

"Probably a lot more than they'd pay to make sure you aren't harmed," I say, faking boredom. The man snarls at me, slashing his sword down and sinking it into the counter only inches away from my hand.

"What was that, brat?"

I hear more men approaching and decide it's time to act. I kick the stool behind me, the seat of it slamming into the man's crotch. He briefly sings soprano, but is silenced as I flip around and plant my foot across his cheek. He topples over from my kick, face-down on the ground and snoring.

"Not very tough for being so big," I joke, flipping the knife in the air. Kiba hands me his knife, backing away from the situation slowly.

Another man charges at me, his iron ax held high in the air. He cleaves it sideways, threatening to decapitate me, but I lean back and just narrowly avoid such a thing. I grab my cup of water, splashing it in the man's face before punching him in the jaw. He stumbles back, catching himself on a table.

A small man I didn't see before, probably only about 5'4, holds a rapier out in front of me. He slashes it at me, which I expertly block with my knives. He slashes a few more times, one of them painfully catching me in the arm, but I sweep his legs out from under him and smash my plate over his head. I drop my knives, retrieving the rapier. This has always been my weapon of choice when training with Iruka-sensei.

I stab the man with the ax in the thigh, laughing as he cries out in pain and drops to the floor. The last two stand before me, weapons in hand, but aren't quite sure what to make of me. They slash their swords simultaneously, which I dodge, by jumping up onto the counter. The girl behind it squeals, running back into the kitchen and locking the door.

"That wasn't very nice, scaring her like that," I growl, smiling. I jump off the counter, using the taller man's face as a stepping stone as I fling myself over them. My feet skid across the ground, laughing as the man falls down. The other turns to me, eyes boiling with rage. He's about to charge, but stops himself and smiles.

A man, bigger than any man I've ever seen before in my life, loops his arms around me. I try to push against him, but his arms are as big around as a tree branch and rippling with muscles. One arm wraps around my neck, tightening as he restricts my breathing. I kick my legs into the air, dropping my rapier as my vision blurs.

"Naruto!" Kiba cries. I try to call back to him, but my voice won't work. I try to kick the man in the shins, but his legs are covered in strong armor and I can't hurt him.

Before I can even blink the man is falling, dragging myself down with him. I look up, seeing that his eyes are rolled back into his head. He looks like he's just fallen asleep, I know he isn't dead.

When I manage to get his arm off me, I stand up, panting. His eyes are closed now, but I clearly see that he's still breathing. Is he...asleep?

"Seems like I've stumbled into something interesting," a girl says. She wears a lavender colored robe, the hood pulled tightly over her head. The last man, the one with the sword, shakes as he looks from her to me. I retrieve my rapier, but the girl in the cloak grabs my wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"I can take care of him," she says softly. Her gentle voice seems far too kind to be talking about taking care of this guy, but I nod and back away from her. If she took out that monster of a man, I'm sure she can handle this guy. She pulls a kunai out from under her cloak.

"I don't know who you think you are, little girl, but you're in my way!" the man yells. He slashes his sword out at her, which she easily deflects with her knife. She steps in close to the man, dropping the knife. She quickly pushes her fingers into the man's shoulder, making him cry out in pain as she strikes a pressure point. She does this several times, faster than I can even follow, to different points on his body. He wails out in pain, actually coughing up a bit of blood as he falls to the floor, unconscious.

Kiba examines the scene around him, gasping as he sees all the men laying unconscious on the floor. "Holy crap, that was awesome!"

I laugh. "Thank you so much, ma'am. How can I repay you for this?"

The girl giggles, removing her hood. Her dark blue hair cascades down, reaching just above her hips. Her face now revealed, she smiles as she turns to me. Her pale eyes, baring no irises, are warm as she watches me.

"H-Hello, Prince Naruto," she says hesitantly. Her soft voice is soothing just to listen to, despite its shaking.

"You know who I am?"

"Y-yes. It's my business to know who you are, of course," she stammers.

Kiba looks confused. "Naruto, do you know this chick?"

I shake my head. "I've never met her before in my life."

The girl smiles softly. "My father knew yours well, Naruto."

"My father?" I ask. "Who are you?"

Interrupting us, the girl from the counter steps out from the kitchen. She peers her head out the doorway, making sure it's safe.

"I've called the authorities, they should be here shortly," she reports. She puts on her smile as she sees the blue haired girl.

"Ah, hello Princess Hinata!" she greets. "Your room is ready for you upstairs."

"Princess?" I mumble, turning back to Hinata. Before I can inquire further, she runs up the stairs and out of sight.

"Who was she?" I ask the girl.

"That's Princess Hinata Hyuga. She visits this inn regularly when she's traveling between villages. Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason," I lie. In truth, I've never laid eyes on somebody so beautiful in my life. Her silky hair, her white eyes that watched me so closely. The way she took down those two guys like it was nothing. _So _cute.

Kiba smiles broadly, looping his arm over my shoulder. "Well well, seems Naruto's got a crush. Maybe she's looking for suitors?"

My heart leaps up into my throat at the very idea. We thank the woman, giving her more money to pay for any damages caused by the bandits. She shows us to our room, which is rather small but comfortable. Two twin-sized beds and a single dresser are all that occupy the small space.

"We should get some sleep, we need to leave early to get to Suna," Kiba says, climbing into one of the beds. I nod dreamily, lying down in the other bed. Kiba douses the lantern, the room now fallen blank with darkness.

I try to focus my mind, think about charming Princess Temari in the morning as Iruka would want me to. But all I can think about is the blue-haired, pale-eyed Princess Hinata just down the hallway. I can feel myself blushing as I drift off to sleep.

* * *

**And so his crush on Hinata is formed :D I promise to try to get the next chapter up soon, but I can't guarantee it. I have a lot going on, you know! xP Please leave a review and thank you for reading!**


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